First Race Done and Dusted - Kinetic Half

Chris and I headed down to Lake Anna this past weekend for the Kinetic Half Ironman.  I might (ok was) rather nervous on Friday and tried to keep it quiet that I was racing.  I had the typical first race jitters of worrying how my training was going and if all the 4:50 wake ups were really worth it.  Luckily I was so nervous on Friday that I was fairly calm on race morning.

Checkin' out the race site the night before

Race morning began at 4 am.  Not that much earlier than my normal wake up, but I went to bed WAY TOO late for a 4 am wake up. Oh well, ate my quinoa and banana, drank some coffee and before I knew it, we were on the way.  Unfortunately neither of our bikes were ready, so Chris and I were both rushed to the max to make it to the start on time and were honestly quite lucky the race started 15 minutes late for fog.

Swim – 1.2 miles – 26:37

I prepared myself for the worst after Kona’s black eye, but luckily the swim start was uneventful and within the first 25 meters, I was battling it out with one other female.  I didn’t feel like pushing the pace to get in front of her, so I just settled in behind her and thought I would let her pull me until we got to the first turnaround buoy. That lasted for about 20 strokes and then I realized the pace was a bit slow and she was swimming a bit wide of the buoys. 

I'm guessing I'm the second arm in the front- I really should learn to bend my elbows

I had no intentions of swimming long, so I picked up the pace and pulled around her.  Positioned myself to swim right on the buoy line and before I knew it, I hit the first turn around buoy (course was a triangle).  I couldn’t really see where to go next, but thanks to the two waves in front of me, I just followed and spotted the next set of buoys pretty soon after.  I started swimming through the wave ahead of me at this point and did my best not to dunk/swim over anyone.  My arms started getting tired from wearing a wetsuit although I was a huge fan of the Aquasphere one I borrowed from Lindsay, but the pace felt comfortable so my swim fitness is definitely good. I got to the last turnaround buoy before I knew it and was heading for shore.  I started seeing quite a few red caps, which meant I was catching the wave two in front of me J  They didn’t have a good swim finish chute, so I was a bit confused where to go, but only wasted about 10 seconds stopping to figure it out and made a bee line for the shore.  Was excited to hear that I was the first amateur out, but that excitement was short lived when I realized I had no clue how to undo the clasp on Lindsay’s wetsuit (thanks again coach!).  Oops.

Bike –56 miles -  2:32:17

I mounted my bike and almost immediately realized I was having the same issue as I had at Ironman Louisville last year, cramps.  UGH, I thought I had addressed this.  The first thirty minutes were some of the worst I’ve had in a long time on the bike.  I was thinking very negative thoughts, got passed on the bike by the 2^nd female and could not get into any sort of rhythm thanks to some very obnoxious males that would not let me or the 2^nd place female race.  I proceeded to drop my chain and lose the cluster, but that turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise because I was finally able to get into my own rhythm and just ride my bike. I recently got a Hydrotail Blaze for my bike, which I love, but I migh have wanted to practice getting the bottles out before the race.  I was able to do the right side, but not the left and sadly had to get off my bike around mile 35 to get the bottle. Chris luckily didn’t pass me during this point because I can only imagine what he would have said.  He flew by soon after and seemed to be riding strong, so I was happy to see that. My heart rate stayed low the entire ride (avg. 151) and I honestly assumed I was riding poorly until mile 40 when I realized I was averaging right around 22mph. I knew I wouldn’t beat my Eagleman bike time from last year (hello, pancake flat course), but I pushed it right up to the dismount line. 

In the end, besides the chain and bottle mishap, I actually had a really good ride.  Cadence and power was right where they should be and it turns out I’m a lot stronger than I realized this year on the bike. 

Run - 1:41.02

Oh the run . . this is where I always get passed.  You start out and run nearly straight uphill, which is cruel, compounded by the fact that this is a three loop course. My calves were cramping and I was immediately questioning my decision to run in my Newton’s (I have no clue what I did with my old Adrenalines).  Self-doubt immediately started creeping in and my heart rate was well below my coach’s goal of 166-172. I took a gel and a salt pill and kept shuffling along and then the miracle happened, my legs loosened up and mile number four was 7:25.  WHAT?! I had just mentally prepared myself for 8:30s after seeing 8:19 for lap three.  Lap two of the course seemed easier than lap one and I just kept running steady between 7:40-7:50.  I decided I would pick it up on lap three if I could and kept looking behind me to see if anyone was catching me. The surprising thing was I only saw men and people on lap one.  Hmmm.  I didn’t want to count my chickens, but I was really hoping I could stay 3^rd overall.  I figured if my pace stayed constant, I had a good shot.  I watched at the turnaround for the third lap and saw no females coming, so I stayed consistent and decided to pick it up at mile 11.  Legs felt great, my pace was quickening and I actually passed quite a few men back on the lap three. I couldn’t stop smiling. I’m usually miserable at this point on the run and instead, I was feeling great and doing what I always enviously watch everyone else do.  The last mile hurt, but it was a fun hurt.  10 minute run PR on the day, but more importantly, I gained some confidence I never had on the run.

I crossed the line and was shocked to see I went a 4:44 for an 11 minute PR over Eagleman last year (yes, I know the temperature plays a roll).  Definitely a very exciting day for me!  Next up is a training trip to Lake Placid with Chris!

Thanks Lindsay for the fantastic coaching and letting me borrow her awesome Aquasphere wetsuit.  Thanks Powerbar for the fuel to keep me going, Cyclelops for power and Swim H20 for keeping swimming fun!  And a thank you to my family and friends who support me.